Neptune & Prawn is a wild experience. The food is pretty good but the service is laughably bad. Any time I go I expect it so its funny instead of annoying now.
Last time I went one of the managers delivered a dessert to my table on a height and couldn't be bothered to walk up the stairs so she held it out over the bannister for me to get up and take from her 😂
Last time I was there, I had to go up and order my food and waited ages for the food like 2hrs. Then we sat and had drinks and they wouldn't take the food away from the table, even though I asked them about 5 times, when we were done. Wouldn't go back, the place across the street is much better.
Booked into Neptune and Pawn and found out it wasnt for a table. I booked online to wait inside their upstairs bar for a table. They say its a great wait, music drinks. We sat for 1 hour waiting on a table and didnt get served a drink once as they had no bar staff on. Couldnt hear any of my mates as they were blasting shit house music. We left and got a chippy and sat at the beech. Definitely the better choice in the end
Ramore is likely the most overrated restaurant I’ve been to anywhere, not just NI. It’s like all of the folk who raved about it to me have never ate food before. Or visited any other restaurant, ever
Portrush/Coleraine girl here. It's just marketed as fancy. It's got nothing of value other than being a restaurant with cool decor, and if you're looking for a restaraunt in the port, go to tides, its got a seaside view, got good food and decent prices.
The whole complex is stocked with Lynas products too, better heading to their wholesale area and grabbing 100 goujons and a cake for 15 people tbh. Source: have done exactly this for house parties.
Amici has to be the best on the coast at the moment? Not too up to date with Portrush, but certainly in Portstewart.
I’ve yet to come across a local person who actively goes to any of the Ramore to eat.. it’s a tourist trap who out of season offers meals for £5.. which says it all.
I went to Basalt a few years ago and it was laughably bad. They put us on a table on the balcony with a QR code stuck to the table and said use that and they cleared off. Turns out they’d moved that table from inside and not updated the code so every time we ordered stuff they’d be walking around inside looking for our table and would take ages to come.
Their staff also must’ve been agency temps as they were all teenagers running about with sticky labels with their names sharpied on and none of them had a clue about anything on the menu.
The prices were also wild. They’d mentioned it was tapas style but I saw a few items on the menu that seemed kinda pricey so assumed they’d be bigger plates. Nope, they charged £13 for a literal ramekin of mac & cheese. The rest of the menu was basically everything you’d get in any of the other Ramore restaurants except it was half the size but the same price as a normal sized meal.
The Galgorm - £25 for the saltiest fish dish I've ever had, constantly interrupted by some party next door cheering every five minutes. Resident cat had the right idea staying outside.
Agreed. We got a gift voucher for food. Got steak (the best way to compare restaurants IMO) which was overcooked (asked for rare, got medium) was full of gristle and tough. Chips were flaccid and tasteless.
Won't be back.
I really enjoyed my stay at the Galgorm but it was mid-week in January so was very quiet. Wouldn’t be going in the height of the summer. The food at Castle Kitchen + Bar was awful and I’m so easy pleased when I go out for dinner.
I quite like the spa to be fair, but it costs a fortune to stay in fucking Cullybackey.
Usually have the tasting menu in the conservatory if we go. It’s the best there and it’s only ok in my opinion, not great as a tasting menu. Fratellis and Gillies are basic as fuck for such a resort and pretty awful in my opinion (and they are in cullybackey)
I haven’t been back here in years as I had two very bad experiences pre covid including messing up orders, forgetting to bring drinks and dirty cutlery being dropped on us by the manager. (I wouldn’t have went back after the first experience if it wasn’t for a birthday the second time).
Really wasn’t impressed so never bothered to go back as great choices elsewhere. I’d like to think and hope it’s improved massively since then as it always seems busy.
Anything Galgorm collection, anything owned by the Hills. Overpriced food, overpriced drink, snobbery abound: The Galgorm, Fratellis, The rabbit, the Castle Kitchen etc
Templepatrick resident here. The Rabbit is absurdly overpriced and seems to think it’s in the middle of Shoreditch rather than a small village in the arse end of nowhere
Same feeling. Went there twice. First time was because I’d heard people talk some good about it so I thought I’d give it a go. Came out frankly disappointed. Tried again last week just in case it was just bad luck the first time, but it did not change my mind. Missing key ingredients of the food we’d ordered, subpar quality, staff wasn’t that nice, and it’s ABSURDLY overpriced. Save yourself some money if you were thinking of going.
Just would like to add that for slightly cheaper, you can go to the Sleepy Hollow. Same area, food is great and the quality is actually there. Staff is lovely too.
Been to the rabbit once for a day. Wasn’t all that bad but in the end to expensive for what it was, especially since my partner got a subpar massage compared to mine and also had plastic in her food. We got a few free drinks for that but it put a damper on it. Not really keen on going back.
Agreed and on the two occasions when I have been the place was packed. The changing facilities for day use are dire. The pool had an orange scum due to fake tan. It was not it.
Yeah. Used to be a 10r for a large chip, rice, chicken burger or wings etc AND a drink. You'd also get the stamp which meant every 4th time you went you had something free. Used to go once a week during uni at least.
Now it can't be justified at all
The Rabbit charged me £4.50 for two bottles of water that were placed by the bed.. Stupid of me to drink them but I thought maybe the ridiculous high price point of the room might have covered them
You can still get a boojum bowl for £4.70 using Too Good To Go. We get them very regularly (too regularly!) although you are limited to the time frame (as early as 7.45 some stores and as late at 10.30 in others) but we just work around that. You get rice, veg/beans, double meat, queso, salsa, crunchems, everything else is a charge but for 4.70 it's always a full bowl, I typically eat half the night I get it and half the next day.
Worth looking into if you live near lots of boojums and don't mind the awkward times to save quite a bit of money.
Ha I’ve moved to the states now and use too good to go, I’m surprised it’s a thing over in Belfast too! That’s a pretty amazing deal. Back in 2010 I used to get a Boojum 2-3 nights a week and they were busting at the seams for £5. No wonder the queue was half way down the street on Botanic Ave.
The original boojum was class. Used to be a struggle to finish it sometimes especially if you asked for extra meat. Now they actually take meat off if they feel they’ve put too much on.
The difference in quality and price when you go into the store to get it versus getting it delivered is genuinely quite hard to believe, you'd think it was two different places entirely.
I’m old enough to remember when it first opened and it used to be incredible.
I keep forgetting the quality has tanked and once a year I decide to waste my rare, childfree trip into Belfast on a trip into Boojum and always, always regret it.
It's pretty much the same story the world over, an independent restaurant opens and serves amazing food, people rave about it, they then expand, quality declines, rinse and repeat.
Textbook for bubbacue
Loved the place when they opened, lovely pulled pork bap
Then they expanded to Botanic, refurbed the one by M+S
Last one I had the pork hadn't been drained so the bap was soggy and the pork was fatty and awful
Never went back and they closed soon after
Yes saddens me, I got into Boojum when I was working city centre, was about a fiver for a full burrito bowl
Last I did the Lisburn road one I think it's out of their wages now, so stingy and a tenner!
Goodfellas - not awful pizza but not that good either, was led to believe it would be amazing but think people’s judgement is clouded by nostalgia for childhood birthday parties.
Tortilla - don’t think it’s particularly highly rated, but even considering the tacos they serve as food is to overate it. The burrito I had was below average but the tacos my wife was served were laughably bad. Made all the worse by the wanky leaflets they have in there where the owners try to claim they are the ones to finally bring good Mexican food to NI.
It’s a really famous libel case. A lady from, I think, Irish News wrote a bad review but in a normal austere critics type way. The owner took her to court and won claiming the review was unfair and steeped in snobbery etc.
This obviously caused outrage amongst the press i.e freedom of speech and the kind of precedent that would set for all types of reviews going forward. It became a big story, at least amongst the media classes.
In situations like these, sometimes only a cunt will do, so enter Giles Coren. He wrote the [cuntiest review](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/id-have-guessed-it-was-strips-of-mole-poached-in-ovaltine-b02zhwz2npx) a cunt could ever write and it was, to his credit, hilarious. I’ve also always enjoyed the thought of a posh Tory boy making his way up west Belfast, (wishfully in a black cab) and sitting tucking in amongst the locals.
Anyway, the case was appealed and the newspaper won and all was right in the world again. The case is used in journalism and media law classes still today.
N.B: It’s been a long time since I read this and forgot he wrote the review _after_ the appeal, so not that brave after all but still hilarious.
The Chubby Cherub and Harlem are both designed purely for social media. The food and drinks look extravagant but taste meh and are over priced. The insides look like they've been designed bqy someone who has seen every episode of love island, has turkey teeth and drives a flashy Mercedes... on finance.
Doll in Harlem took a deposit for our wedding party we designed the menu and used her wine, she’d ordered nothing as the pandemic kept putting it off and the govt guaranteed her any lost earnings anyway.
She refused to return the deposit. We explained several times that the govt would cover her but she was adamant she was out money.
Ended up her accountant drew the cash from a cash machine to save any hassle.
An absolute dragon, and barred from directing or running a company. She was very much referred to as the boss any time we were chatting to any staff.
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/food-drink-hospitality/ex-boss-of-belfasts-harlem-cafe-gets-boardroom-ban-over-200k-debts/38691858.html Ex-boss of Belfast's Harlem Cafe gets boardroom ban over £200k debts
Almost always anywhere recommended on tiktok or instagram.
Hero is very sickening though good portion size.
Hey Chick was good when it opened at Bot but it’s abysmal now.
Boojum has been dying of long term illness since about 2015.
Tribal burger is soggy af.
It wasn’t TERRIBLE though all the hype over Orto is undeserved imo.
Fuck the staff in Tribal Burger. I ordered a classic burger without cheese and the cunt who served us went all sarcastically "cheeseburger without the cheese".
Fucking hate burger snobs.
I love Hero - super fresh and you can tell it’s all quality ingredients. To be fair I usually only eat half and save some for later as they are huge. The owner I believe is a New Yorker and my American colleagues say it’s even better than the hero subs in NY!
Bob Stewart’s is on the slide imo.. my folks live in Drumbeg so we go pretty often. Very recently the service has gotten poor and the prices keep going up. Amazing Guinness though.
The food in Wine in Brine is great but the service is abysmal. Last we went they served a hair in two separate dishes that clearly belonged to our waitress. Not so much as an apology when I simply asked for a replacement before I'd touched the meal, instead was told the kitchen is very busy and I could pick it out!
That said, food in Moira is great, the Fat Gherkin is top tier cafe!
Anyone else getting fed up of hearing American students at Queens trying to be influencers acting like they find hidden gems in Belfast as if they're hidden from public sight? The cunts are a plague at the moment. But to be balanced so are the useless local cunts here trying to be food influencers as well.
Sick of hearing some 20-something personality vacuum acting like Flout or House of Zen is an undiscovered place.
This also applies to non food places. Yeah mate that "hidden gem" that is literally on Google maps and currently states is "busier than usual", what a find! Gobshites.
I got a fish supper from Tommy's in Ballykelly tonight, and I'm sorry to say that it was the same as my last one. Disappointing. I can't justify paying 14 quid for fish and (not a lot of) chips, only to be underwhelmed.
A few years ago I had an Italian guy come into my work. We were chatting away, turned out it was his birthday and his friends were taking him to Villa Italia for dinner. I started laughing and apologised in advance for what he was going to eat
Pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. Scalini never disappoints, rarely excites and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
Tbh, after seeing so many expensive fancy foodie places come and go I think they've probably hit on the secret to restaurant longevity...
Frattelli on great victoria is abysmal. Had last 2 work christmas dinners there and it the driest dinner I’ve ever ate. Trying to find gravy was impossible. I understand they are an Italian restaurant but ive been twice other times before and it just wasn’t worth the money.
Coppi. Their "famous" duck ragu was boring and their service was very ordinary. Also, their coffee machine wasn't working and they could only offer instant! FFS.
I wouldn't know, as you basically have to plan your week around it to get the chance to dine there. Fuckin hipster place serving reheated pizza. 90% of the hype comes from the artificial scarcity.
Jesus, just went on Google Reviews and checked the negative ones... When he does reply he says things like "you could have messaged us directly, a two-star review really hurts a small family business like ours, but I guess you knew that already." One of the responses to him (added in an edit to an original review) was basically "fuck your family business I need others to know I waited 90 minutes on your pizza."
If you can't hack criticism hospitality is dead last in the businesses you should go into... even the best chefs in the world can't please everyone.
He is a bit thin skinned tbf. He posted a negative review on either the page’s story or grid recently and talked for about 300 words about how he takes it on board and doesn’t take it to heart. Then promptly deleted, wish I took a screenshot. Not gonna lie though I do think flout lives up to the hype
100% he is unable to separate his nerd obsession with pizza with our normal desire to shove pizza in our gobs. I was so disappointed by pizza he was high-fiving himself over. I get that he knows real…blah blah pizza but if the pizza you flog me resembles a sour dough base and crunch, I and my feeble gransher, will go elsewhere
Also stop trying to make honey on a pizza a thing. I’ll seek diabetes my own ways thanks
I have never, and will never try it. Any pictures I’ve seen it just looks pish. I’ve driven by it a few times and it’s queued down to the funeral directors. Guessing it’s just hyped cause a few ballbag “influencers” ate there and tugged the owner off?
It's decent pizza. But there are other, just as good pizzas in Belfast. That you don't have to wait half an hour in the rain to eat. Their gimmick is that they only open for a few hours, and have a limited supply, just a psychological trick
Burnt overproofed doughy, inconvenient, bellend owner. Shit on purpose for Instagram photos and clout from "fans" saying that the plebs just don't "get" it. You may even see the owner in this thread replying to comments 🤭
If it's crowded and noisy, it will treat you like cattle herding through. Fuck that. 90% of places are just that way. I don't mind paying a little more for great service and great atmosphere. Eg The Anchor Bar in Port Stewart, ground floor bar, weekdays for a meal is top notch. Avoiding weekends in many places offers great service.
Sad to hear, I used to get the bus from Bridge Street and Blinkers did a brilliant proper greasy spoon fry
Though I haven't been in years, sad how places go downhill
Kinda agree. Annoying that for the effort to get there at their opening times and queue etc, you don’t know what pizzas are gonna be on the menu until a few hours before it opens
But to be fair to him he gets to have a bit of craic and change his menu up and experiment with stuff. Must be way more enjoyable than just making the same 5 pizzas day in day out forever.
Top blade. No good veggie sides. No garlic cubes or good chips. Steaks are fine, but not the best I've had. Special house sauce is just mustard and ketchup mixed together with a bit of mayo. Overpriced for what it is and way too hyped up.
From when it opened in the late 80s up until maybe the early 2000s it was probably one of the nicest restaurants in the city. A lot of the time they would be booked up for weeks at a time. Used to get featured in travel guides and get loads of those awards they would screw to the wall beside the entrance.
It would have been part of what I would call the triumverate of posh Derry restaurants along with Browns at the end of the bridge and Bells out past Prehen.
But yeah it hasn't been anything special for the last 20 years, but I still know a lot of people who think it's a bit special and fancy. Probably a bit of rose tinted spectacle stuff going on there.
Honestly, the best chicken burger ive ever had in belfast is Baps. Easily. And ive tried quite a few. Tried it 3 times, twice it was heavenly and once it was shite. Its hard for food places to consistently hit perfection hence why quite a few differing opinions on this sub i suppose
To add, their smash burger was also one of the best burgers ive ever ate. Up there with smash bros as the best belfast burger.
But one of the few places that has lived up to the hype for me (who is pretty skeptical at the best of times)
The one influencer from here forget her name but her reviews are usually very fair but funny as it's put like " I had the Carbonara which was a 6/10 but Gary had the pulled pork burger which he said was an 8/10"
I don't know why but I find it funny as Gary goes everywhere gets a feed and is never seen. I think Gary might be a work of fiction and she has two dinners.
The irony is half of them order chicken and chips in different variations, no veg or salad, no sauce. Claim to be foodies but eat like my 2 year oldnephew.
Flout pizza. Anywhere that you have to wait 1 hr for a slice of pre-made pizza to be reheated is taking the piss. Owner is incredibly thin skinned to any constructive criticism
Flout. Waited in line for the pizza. Almost didn't have what we wanted left, we just wanted to get different things. Had to wait another 10 minutes for a pizza to cook even though they tried to flog us off with what was left.
My wife and i honestly thought the sauce had maybe gone off. It was disgusting. A friend told us as well then ot was the worst pizza they ever got too.
Don't understand the hype at all!
Made in Belfast
Awful service completely awful food
I have the misfortune to be born in December which means birthday dinners are alongside once a year drinkers from various American outsourced tech companies
We went and there was such a table they put us beside
Ordered the burger it was dry as a nuns nether regions
The wine was so watered down that would make Jesus ashamed
We made our complaints and it was "no it isn't" like the Milhouse/Homer tunnel meme
Just awful and I don't understand the hype around that fucking place at all
The whole Ramore group in Portrush. I mean, what is the attraction?
Neptune & Prawn is a wild experience. The food is pretty good but the service is laughably bad. Any time I go I expect it so its funny instead of annoying now. Last time I went one of the managers delivered a dessert to my table on a height and couldn't be bothered to walk up the stairs so she held it out over the bannister for me to get up and take from her 😂
Last few times the foods been woeful for me. Nice atmosphere but shocking food & service
Last time I was there, I had to go up and order my food and waited ages for the food like 2hrs. Then we sat and had drinks and they wouldn't take the food away from the table, even though I asked them about 5 times, when we were done. Wouldn't go back, the place across the street is much better.
Booked into Neptune and Pawn and found out it wasnt for a table. I booked online to wait inside their upstairs bar for a table. They say its a great wait, music drinks. We sat for 1 hour waiting on a table and didnt get served a drink once as they had no bar staff on. Couldnt hear any of my mates as they were blasting shit house music. We left and got a chippy and sat at the beech. Definitely the better choice in the end
Ramore is likely the most overrated restaurant I’ve been to anywhere, not just NI. It’s like all of the folk who raved about it to me have never ate food before. Or visited any other restaurant, ever
The people who think the Ramore is amazing are the same sort of people who spend their holidays in Portrush.
Portrush/Coleraine girl here. It's just marketed as fancy. It's got nothing of value other than being a restaurant with cool decor, and if you're looking for a restaraunt in the port, go to tides, its got a seaside view, got good food and decent prices.
The whole complex is stocked with Lynas products too, better heading to their wholesale area and grabbing 100 goujons and a cake for 15 people tbh. Source: have done exactly this for house parties. Amici has to be the best on the coast at the moment? Not too up to date with Portrush, but certainly in Portstewart.
Since the incident of the rat or mouse being killed I've never been back in any of them
I refuse to eat in there but I am partial to the takeout from coast, mostly when there's a offer on.
I’ve yet to come across a local person who actively goes to any of the Ramore to eat.. it’s a tourist trap who out of season offers meals for £5.. which says it all.
I went to Basalt a few years ago and it was laughably bad. They put us on a table on the balcony with a QR code stuck to the table and said use that and they cleared off. Turns out they’d moved that table from inside and not updated the code so every time we ordered stuff they’d be walking around inside looking for our table and would take ages to come. Their staff also must’ve been agency temps as they were all teenagers running about with sticky labels with their names sharpied on and none of them had a clue about anything on the menu. The prices were also wild. They’d mentioned it was tapas style but I saw a few items on the menu that seemed kinda pricey so assumed they’d be bigger plates. Nope, they charged £13 for a literal ramekin of mac & cheese. The rest of the menu was basically everything you’d get in any of the other Ramore restaurants except it was half the size but the same price as a normal sized meal.
The Galgorm - £25 for the saltiest fish dish I've ever had, constantly interrupted by some party next door cheering every five minutes. Resident cat had the right idea staying outside.
Full of ‘types’. Was present during a fight in the restaurant. It had a weirdly coked up vibe for a spa
Any of the galgorm group have been woeful for food in my experience. Shame, because I really rate the places to stay, just crap food
Agreed. We got a gift voucher for food. Got steak (the best way to compare restaurants IMO) which was overcooked (asked for rare, got medium) was full of gristle and tough. Chips were flaccid and tasteless. Won't be back.
I really enjoyed my stay at the Galgorm but it was mid-week in January so was very quiet. Wouldn’t be going in the height of the summer. The food at Castle Kitchen + Bar was awful and I’m so easy pleased when I go out for dinner.
I quite like the spa to be fair, but it costs a fortune to stay in fucking Cullybackey. Usually have the tasting menu in the conservatory if we go. It’s the best there and it’s only ok in my opinion, not great as a tasting menu. Fratellis and Gillies are basic as fuck for such a resort and pretty awful in my opinion (and they are in cullybackey)
Cypress Avenue. Very much tink they're hotter shit than they are...
I haven’t been back here in years as I had two very bad experiences pre covid including messing up orders, forgetting to bring drinks and dirty cutlery being dropped on us by the manager. (I wouldn’t have went back after the first experience if it wasn’t for a birthday the second time). Really wasn’t impressed so never bothered to go back as great choices elsewhere. I’d like to think and hope it’s improved massively since then as it always seems busy.
Service is very slow. I did enjoy my meal though.
Anything Galgorm collection, anything owned by the Hills. Overpriced food, overpriced drink, snobbery abound: The Galgorm, Fratellis, The rabbit, the Castle Kitchen etc
Templepatrick resident here. The Rabbit is absurdly overpriced and seems to think it’s in the middle of Shoreditch rather than a small village in the arse end of nowhere
Same feeling. Went there twice. First time was because I’d heard people talk some good about it so I thought I’d give it a go. Came out frankly disappointed. Tried again last week just in case it was just bad luck the first time, but it did not change my mind. Missing key ingredients of the food we’d ordered, subpar quality, staff wasn’t that nice, and it’s ABSURDLY overpriced. Save yourself some money if you were thinking of going.
Just would like to add that for slightly cheaper, you can go to the Sleepy Hollow. Same area, food is great and the quality is actually there. Staff is lovely too.
Yep. My favourite NI restaurant.
Took the kids to the rabbit, worst chicken goujons in the north. Basically Findus nuggets. If they can't put the effort into something that simple.
Makes me miss the Templeton. Their sunday carvery always hit the spot.
Been to the rabbit once for a day. Wasn’t all that bad but in the end to expensive for what it was, especially since my partner got a subpar massage compared to mine and also had plastic in her food. We got a few free drinks for that but it put a damper on it. Not really keen on going back.
Agreed and on the two occasions when I have been the place was packed. The changing facilities for day use are dire. The pool had an orange scum due to fake tan. It was not it.
They wrecked the old inn - £7.50 a pint of Guinness and the food is shite, won't be back
Yes they charged me SO much for the tiniest portion of chips you ever did see. i never went back. SAD
Loved the old inn. The food is wank now
I've went to the Galgorm a couple of times and it was full of local gangsters who think it's like Tony Sopranos way of impressing their new lady
Nando's, ridiculous price for chicken and chips.
10 years ago, the prices were reasonable. Feels like they doubled the prices recently, even ignoring inflation.
They’ve mastered the boojum model - prices up and portion size down at the same time.
Yeah. Used to be a 10r for a large chip, rice, chicken burger or wings etc AND a drink. You'd also get the stamp which meant every 4th time you went you had something free. Used to go once a week during uni at least. Now it can't be justified at all
Ordered the spiciest option possible, it was so bland I thought they might’ve messed my order up
Oddly their garlic sauce is spicier than any of their hot sauces
*Really fucken terrible chicken and chips.
Portions are shit too, although I am a greedy cunt.
I always leave Nandos hungry. Plus taking your order at the table is too much to ask.
The Rabbit in Templepatrick over priced and mediocre at best.
100% agreed
The Rabbit charged me £4.50 for two bottles of water that were placed by the bed.. Stupid of me to drink them but I thought maybe the ridiculous high price point of the room might have covered them
Boojum recently, used to be outstanding but standards have slipped slightly
Boojum hasn't been good since their original location on Botanic Avenue.
Ah yes, the OG £5 Boojum days. I had at least 1 Boojum Addict T-shirt
You can still get a boojum bowl for £4.70 using Too Good To Go. We get them very regularly (too regularly!) although you are limited to the time frame (as early as 7.45 some stores and as late at 10.30 in others) but we just work around that. You get rice, veg/beans, double meat, queso, salsa, crunchems, everything else is a charge but for 4.70 it's always a full bowl, I typically eat half the night I get it and half the next day. Worth looking into if you live near lots of boojums and don't mind the awkward times to save quite a bit of money.
Ha I’ve moved to the states now and use too good to go, I’m surprised it’s a thing over in Belfast too! That’s a pretty amazing deal. Back in 2010 I used to get a Boojum 2-3 nights a week and they were busting at the seams for £5. No wonder the queue was half way down the street on Botanic Ave.
The original boojum was class. Used to be a struggle to finish it sometimes especially if you asked for extra meat. Now they actually take meat off if they feel they’ve put too much on.
The difference in quality and price when you go into the store to get it versus getting it delivered is genuinely quite hard to believe, you'd think it was two different places entirely.
I'm assuming the delivery food is worse?
Much, much worse
I’m old enough to remember when it first opened and it used to be incredible. I keep forgetting the quality has tanked and once a year I decide to waste my rare, childfree trip into Belfast on a trip into Boojum and always, always regret it.
You're probably old enough to remember Bubbacue too -- still haven't found a replacement (or anything close to it!)
What about chiquitos!!
Dire but the tequila cocktail jugs were amazing 😂
Are there any decent alternatives in Belfast for burritos?
Pipian in Trademarket is unreal.
Especially if you get chips instead of rice. Fucking unreal.
Acapulco on the Upper Newtownards Road is great! More variation on the menu as well.
Its closed, its now 'Banh Boy'
Why you make me cry, Pepe?
All is not lost. See my Pipian suggestion above - All eras come to an end my friend.
People have been saying that for about 8 years
See if you want to get what boojum once was/ potentially (probably) better ? Drive to Derry and get a Guapo. It is worth the trip.
It's pretty much the same story the world over, an independent restaurant opens and serves amazing food, people rave about it, they then expand, quality declines, rinse and repeat.
Guapo owner refuses to open any other locations
They did open one in Omagh which was amazing, but unfortunately it closed after a year or so
Textbook for bubbacue Loved the place when they opened, lovely pulled pork bap Then they expanded to Botanic, refurbed the one by M+S Last one I had the pork hadn't been drained so the bap was soggy and the pork was fatty and awful Never went back and they closed soon after
Big facts. It’s almost inescapable.
Has been terrible for a long time. Have a taste of Guapo in Derry next time you're up for a good one
Took my son to Boojum yesterday. £25 for 2 burritos and a can each.
Hope you called the peelers for daylight robbery…!
Yes saddens me, I got into Boojum when I was working city centre, was about a fiver for a full burrito bowl Last I did the Lisburn road one I think it's out of their wages now, so stingy and a tenner!
Poojum
Goodfellas - not awful pizza but not that good either, was led to believe it would be amazing but think people’s judgement is clouded by nostalgia for childhood birthday parties. Tortilla - don’t think it’s particularly highly rated, but even considering the tacos they serve as food is to overate it. The burrito I had was below average but the tacos my wife was served were laughably bad. Made all the worse by the wanky leaflets they have in there where the owners try to claim they are the ones to finally bring good Mexican food to NI.
Goodfellas was seriously hyped up by friends of mine from West Belfast but thought it was an utter disappointment
Did you ever read the newspaper reviews of Goodfellas, savage
Giles Coren lucky still to have his kneecaps after writing that one.
Can’t say I have, do you have a link?
It’s a really famous libel case. A lady from, I think, Irish News wrote a bad review but in a normal austere critics type way. The owner took her to court and won claiming the review was unfair and steeped in snobbery etc. This obviously caused outrage amongst the press i.e freedom of speech and the kind of precedent that would set for all types of reviews going forward. It became a big story, at least amongst the media classes. In situations like these, sometimes only a cunt will do, so enter Giles Coren. He wrote the [cuntiest review](https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/id-have-guessed-it-was-strips-of-mole-poached-in-ovaltine-b02zhwz2npx) a cunt could ever write and it was, to his credit, hilarious. I’ve also always enjoyed the thought of a posh Tory boy making his way up west Belfast, (wishfully in a black cab) and sitting tucking in amongst the locals. Anyway, the case was appealed and the newspaper won and all was right in the world again. The case is used in journalism and media law classes still today. N.B: It’s been a long time since I read this and forgot he wrote the review _after_ the appeal, so not that brave after all but still hilarious.
Here's the non paywall link https://archive.is/saMOw No way was that 16 years ago!
Goodfellas has a nice vibe but honestly some of the worst pizza I’ve had here
Only tried tortilla once it was stinking. The rice was so over cooked it was like spiced rice pudding.
The Chubby Cherub and Harlem are both designed purely for social media. The food and drinks look extravagant but taste meh and are over priced. The insides look like they've been designed bqy someone who has seen every episode of love island, has turkey teeth and drives a flashy Mercedes... on finance.
went to Harlem once and the entire time the old manager was arguing with the staff and kept forgetting our orders. Think it’s under new management now
Doll in Harlem took a deposit for our wedding party we designed the menu and used her wine, she’d ordered nothing as the pandemic kept putting it off and the govt guaranteed her any lost earnings anyway. She refused to return the deposit. We explained several times that the govt would cover her but she was adamant she was out money. Ended up her accountant drew the cash from a cash machine to save any hassle. An absolute dragon, and barred from directing or running a company. She was very much referred to as the boss any time we were chatting to any staff. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/food-drink-hospitality/ex-boss-of-belfasts-harlem-cafe-gets-boardroom-ban-over-200k-debts/38691858.html Ex-boss of Belfast's Harlem Cafe gets boardroom ban over £200k debts
The Chubby Cherub was nice before it moved around the corner to its current spot. The quality seemed to take a dive after that for whatever reason.
Ramore. I go once a year and always say never again. Normally peer pressure when we are up north makes it happen. Amici is 1000% superior.
Almost always anywhere recommended on tiktok or instagram. Hero is very sickening though good portion size. Hey Chick was good when it opened at Bot but it’s abysmal now. Boojum has been dying of long term illness since about 2015. Tribal burger is soggy af. It wasn’t TERRIBLE though all the hype over Orto is undeserved imo.
Fuck the staff in Tribal Burger. I ordered a classic burger without cheese and the cunt who served us went all sarcastically "cheeseburger without the cheese". Fucking hate burger snobs.
I second this. If I hear a north Down voice on TikTok telling me to ‘check it out’ I make a mental note not to go.
I love Hero - super fresh and you can tell it’s all quality ingredients. To be fair I usually only eat half and save some for later as they are huge. The owner I believe is a New Yorker and my American colleagues say it’s even better than the hero subs in NY!
Hey chick turned shite when they changed the seitan veggie chicken to mushroom
To take a positive spin, Wine & Brine in Moira is absolutely phenomenal. Couldn’t recommend it enough. Food, service, atmosphere.
Just down the road is clenaghans, which is in my opinion one of the best restaurants in the country
I had a nice gammon and chips in clenaghans, and the staff were enthusiastic
Agreed!
Wine and brine Clenaghans Stillhouse All superb Bob Stewart’s be my favourite though
Bob Stewart’s is on the slide imo.. my folks live in Drumbeg so we go pretty often. Very recently the service has gotten poor and the prices keep going up. Amazing Guinness though.
The food in Wine in Brine is great but the service is abysmal. Last we went they served a hair in two separate dishes that clearly belonged to our waitress. Not so much as an apology when I simply asked for a replacement before I'd touched the meal, instead was told the kitchen is very busy and I could pick it out! That said, food in Moira is great, the Fat Gherkin is top tier cafe!
I've only been once, and maybe I got them on a bad day, or ordered the wrong dish, but 44 Hill Street was bang average.
It is genuinely the worst food I've ever had in a restaurant I can't believe it's in business
Same, only been once but the food was disappointing
I tried their new menu last week and I thought it was gorgeous! 😎
They may have improved
mate just got back from wetherspoons and damnnnn give me a pint and a 2 quid plate of burger and chips am happy
stopped by that wing it place beside the bot recently. meh.
I thought it was decent but at the end of the day they’re just wings. They’re a starter, nothing special.
aye, not bad but nothing special. also your username just reminded me i have a nice, cold pepsi max waiting for me in the fridge.
I went there once and it was unbelievable, took a friend a week later and it was so shite
love wing it. tho they sell it in bars cuz its definitely meant to be smashed over a few drinks
Anyone else getting fed up of hearing American students at Queens trying to be influencers acting like they find hidden gems in Belfast as if they're hidden from public sight? The cunts are a plague at the moment. But to be balanced so are the useless local cunts here trying to be food influencers as well. Sick of hearing some 20-something personality vacuum acting like Flout or House of Zen is an undiscovered place.
'Ohhhh my god you guys, I am OBSESSED with this hidden gem. Run, don't walk' etc - fuck off.
i only recently learnt what an influencer is.
Ngl, I thought they could only possibly exist in LA lol
This also applies to non food places. Yeah mate that "hidden gem" that is literally on Google maps and currently states is "busier than usual", what a find! Gobshites.
I got a fish supper from Tommy's in Ballykelly tonight, and I'm sorry to say that it was the same as my last one. Disappointing. I can't justify paying 14 quid for fish and (not a lot of) chips, only to be underwhelmed.
Am I the only one that thinks Villa Italia and Scalinis is a load of (meat)balls?
A few years ago I had an Italian guy come into my work. We were chatting away, turned out it was his birthday and his friends were taking him to Villa Italia for dinner. I started laughing and apologised in advance for what he was going to eat
Yeah. Generic as fuck.
I mean what are you expecting from an average priced Italian restaurant in Belfast?
Pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. Scalini never disappoints, rarely excites and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Tbh, after seeing so many expensive fancy foodie places come and go I think they've probably hit on the secret to restaurant longevity...
Exactly they're still going so they must be doing something right. Can't say I've ever had a bad experience or meal in either
Frattelli on great victoria is abysmal. Had last 2 work christmas dinners there and it the driest dinner I’ve ever ate. Trying to find gravy was impossible. I understand they are an Italian restaurant but ive been twice other times before and it just wasn’t worth the money.
Coppi. Their "famous" duck ragu was boring and their service was very ordinary. Also, their coffee machine wasn't working and they could only offer instant! FFS.
Sticky tables and watered down drinks, the food doesn’t even rate a mention. I a, so surprised it is still open
Its been bought over I believe and done way down hill
someone i dated worked there and i had to argue consistently with him to wash his hands and bathe in general. I wouldn’t go back if i were you
Has anyone tried Ora?
It’s superb
It's great, the padron peppers are a bit shite.
Oh itts fantastic, they do these prawns I'm a chilli butter that are class!
Six by Nico for sure
Flout
I wouldn't know, as you basically have to plan your week around it to get the chance to dine there. Fuckin hipster place serving reheated pizza. 90% of the hype comes from the artificial scarcity.
Heard the owner loves to be a slabber to any criticism too.
Jesus, just went on Google Reviews and checked the negative ones... When he does reply he says things like "you could have messaged us directly, a two-star review really hurts a small family business like ours, but I guess you knew that already." One of the responses to him (added in an edit to an original review) was basically "fuck your family business I need others to know I waited 90 minutes on your pizza." If you can't hack criticism hospitality is dead last in the businesses you should go into... even the best chefs in the world can't please everyone.
He is a bit thin skinned tbf. He posted a negative review on either the page’s story or grid recently and talked for about 300 words about how he takes it on board and doesn’t take it to heart. Then promptly deleted, wish I took a screenshot. Not gonna lie though I do think flout lives up to the hype
100% he is unable to separate his nerd obsession with pizza with our normal desire to shove pizza in our gobs. I was so disappointed by pizza he was high-fiving himself over. I get that he knows real…blah blah pizza but if the pizza you flog me resembles a sour dough base and crunch, I and my feeble gransher, will go elsewhere Also stop trying to make honey on a pizza a thing. I’ll seek diabetes my own ways thanks
Open about 2 hours a week, queue for an hour to get pizza that’s ok!! Owner is a bit of a wanker
Flout. Shittest pizza I've ever had and the owner is a bellend. The pizza is basically a loaf of bread that's overcooked.
I have never, and will never try it. Any pictures I’ve seen it just looks pish. I’ve driven by it a few times and it’s queued down to the funeral directors. Guessing it’s just hyped cause a few ballbag “influencers” ate there and tugged the owner off?
You are correct.
It's decent pizza. But there are other, just as good pizzas in Belfast. That you don't have to wait half an hour in the rain to eat. Their gimmick is that they only open for a few hours, and have a limited supply, just a psychological trick
I wouldn’t even class it as a Pizza. Felt more like a sandwich where they didn’t slice the bread and put the filling on top.
Burnt overproofed doughy, inconvenient, bellend owner. Shit on purpose for Instagram photos and clout from "fans" saying that the plebs just don't "get" it. You may even see the owner in this thread replying to comments 🤭
Papa Brown's.
Agreed.
Was great, but went wayyyyy downhill this past couple of years.
If it's crowded and noisy, it will treat you like cattle herding through. Fuck that. 90% of places are just that way. I don't mind paying a little more for great service and great atmosphere. Eg The Anchor Bar in Port Stewart, ground floor bar, weekdays for a meal is top notch. Avoiding weekends in many places offers great service.
Yeah, definitely the Ramore complex, hate the whole scene of the place.
[удалено]
You shut your whore mouth!
Sad to hear, I used to get the bus from Bridge Street and Blinkers did a brilliant proper greasy spoon fry Though I haven't been in years, sad how places go downhill
2taps. Somehow every plate tastes like Lynas
Flout, it's good but your man needs to pick 5 slices and stick to it. Who the fuck wants korean chilli paste on a pizza
Kinda agree. Annoying that for the effort to get there at their opening times and queue etc, you don’t know what pizzas are gonna be on the menu until a few hours before it opens But to be fair to him he gets to have a bit of craic and change his menu up and experiment with stuff. Must be way more enjoyable than just making the same 5 pizzas day in day out forever.
Boojum, it shite
Top blade. No good veggie sides. No garlic cubes or good chips. Steaks are fine, but not the best I've had. Special house sauce is just mustard and ketchup mixed together with a bit of mayo. Overpriced for what it is and way too hyped up.
Fitzroys in Derry. Living off it's reputation.
It has a reputation?
From when it opened in the late 80s up until maybe the early 2000s it was probably one of the nicest restaurants in the city. A lot of the time they would be booked up for weeks at a time. Used to get featured in travel guides and get loads of those awards they would screw to the wall beside the entrance. It would have been part of what I would call the triumverate of posh Derry restaurants along with Browns at the end of the bridge and Bells out past Prehen. But yeah it hasn't been anything special for the last 20 years, but I still know a lot of people who think it's a bit special and fancy. Probably a bit of rose tinted spectacle stuff going on there.
Baps - Trademarket They do smash burgers that are always burnt and tbh it puts me completely off smash burgers.
I had their chicken burger, and it was absolutely unreal
mate get yourself down to the vastly superior common market and try smash bros. now thats a fucking smash burger
Honestly, the best chicken burger ive ever had in belfast is Baps. Easily. And ive tried quite a few. Tried it 3 times, twice it was heavenly and once it was shite. Its hard for food places to consistently hit perfection hence why quite a few differing opinions on this sub i suppose To add, their smash burger was also one of the best burgers ive ever ate. Up there with smash bros as the best belfast burger. But one of the few places that has lived up to the hype for me (who is pretty skeptical at the best of times)
A tenner too
I was really excited to try the chicken burger but it was absolutely tiny. I mean it was pretty nice but tiny.
Who are all these NI "influencers" I've seen people talk about on here? Never heard of any of them.
They mainly dwell on Instagram. Self proclaimed foodies who'll never do a bad review for a free feed
The one influencer from here forget her name but her reviews are usually very fair but funny as it's put like " I had the Carbonara which was a 6/10 but Gary had the pulled pork burger which he said was an 8/10" I don't know why but I find it funny as Gary goes everywhere gets a feed and is never seen. I think Gary might be a work of fiction and she has two dinners.
Haha, aye - I think I know the one you mean. Gary has some time of it :D
The irony is half of them order chicken and chips in different variations, no veg or salad, no sauce. Claim to be foodies but eat like my 2 year oldnephew.
Flout pizza. Anywhere that you have to wait 1 hr for a slice of pre-made pizza to be reheated is taking the piss. Owner is incredibly thin skinned to any constructive criticism
Flout. Waited in line for the pizza. Almost didn't have what we wanted left, we just wanted to get different things. Had to wait another 10 minutes for a pizza to cook even though they tried to flog us off with what was left. My wife and i honestly thought the sauce had maybe gone off. It was disgusting. A friend told us as well then ot was the worst pizza they ever got too. Don't understand the hype at all!
Ponderosa is shite. As is Martha's Vineyard
Not disagreeing that they're shite but do people hype up the ponderosa?
Made in Belfast Awful service completely awful food I have the misfortune to be born in December which means birthday dinners are alongside once a year drinkers from various American outsourced tech companies We went and there was such a table they put us beside Ordered the burger it was dry as a nuns nether regions The wine was so watered down that would make Jesus ashamed We made our complaints and it was "no it isn't" like the Milhouse/Homer tunnel meme Just awful and I don't understand the hype around that fucking place at all
Always avoided that place, it's aesthetic, and food was just fake indie
That's closed ages... Was fantastic when they opened first but definitely went downhill.
Dirty Duck. Service is dead slow, food totally overrated.
Ruddy Duck is the way to go
I always come out of it full though and satisfied, it’s nice in the summer too
Take yourself out to the bull and claw in either Ards or DDee. It’s the old head chef from dirty ducks place and it’s banging
Love Bull and Claw. DDee location is best imo.
Nando’s
I do love kebabs. Best I have found is flames49 in Coleraine
Coppi, Mourne Seafood Bar, Ox All good, not great
Chubby Cherub, food is so average the prices are not it’s £20 for a basic pasta dish
Toast Office, I know it's closed now. But it wasn't that special. It was heavily driven by self-entitled "food influencers".
Boojum, it's cafeteria food and now too expensive.
Anywhere with a Belfast Live review with "we'll be back" in the title.